For Hackensack shoe store that cared about feet, a sad walk toward closingJune 20, 2014, 9:20 PM Last updated: Friday, June 20, 2014, 9:25 PM
By CHRISTOPHER MAAG
Staff Writer
The Record
HACKENSACK — Myron Chassen walked into Kates Brothers Scientific Shoe Co. carrying four pairs of loafers and a tray of lemon-flavored Danishes.
He brings pastries every time he visits, which is once a month. What was special cargo this time were those dress loafers: The store is failing, and Chassen wants to get all his customized shoe repairs and adjustments done before Kates closes forever.
“It’s very upsetting — I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Chassen, 62, who has been a regular customer at Kates for 40 years. “It’s going to take me a while to find somebody who’s trying to do right by me, and not just trying to sell me a pair of shoes.”
After 73 years, Kates Shoes will probably close at the end of July. The store has struggled for years as customers fled the downtown for suburban malls. But owner Greg Mills clung to hopes that a downtown renaissance might turn the business around.
Mills is still open to offers, especially from a podiatrist or orthopedist looking to open a new office in a specialty shoe store. But after many failed tries to find a buyer, Mills believes he will simply walk away, closing one of the few stores left in North Jersey where customers can buy shoes custom-tailored for their feet.
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